


One More Left to SAVE

by Draknowin



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Male!Frisk, Technically most of the cast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5270033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draknowin/pseuds/Draknowin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The True Pacifist ending handled a bit differently. And by 'a bit differently' I mean 'something that people have already done but I felt like doing anyway'.<br/>Obviously, spoilers for the True Pacifist ending of Undertale. From the point of view of Frisk</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Frisk? Frisk, wake up… it was all just a bad dream. Frisk?”

Toriel’s voice is what managed to get me up; well, that and what was probably Undyne trying to shake me awake. I slowly sat up, groaning and holding my head. Still, I managed to signal that I was alive and… mostly well. We were all in the room right before the Barrier… the room before I was supposed to fight Asgore.

I saw Toriel breathe a sigh of relief, as well as most everyone but Sans. “Thank goodness you are alright. You had us worried sick, child!” she said, gently pulling me to my feet before wrapping me up in a hug.

“Yeah, kid! Much longer and I might’ve freaked out!” Undyne added with a smirk, which immediately vanished when she half-screamed, “Warn us next time you’re gonna take a nap, _got it_?!” The way her fins flared out made it both comical and… well, alright; mostly comical. I saw Alphys just shake her head with a faint smile, and I was already glad it _wasn’t_ a dream.

“hey, you had papyrus crying like a baby, he was so worried,” Sans said flatly, glancing at his brother who did in fact have wet streaks under his eye sockets.

“I WAS NOT CRYING! I SIMPLY… CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYES!” Papyrus retorted quickly, wiping under his eyes. Pretty sure that Sans shot something back, but I started tuning them out with a smile.

“You know, Frisk… I never did get to ask you if you wanted a cup of tea,” Asgore started slowly with a faint smile, reaching into his massive cloak. “So… Frisk? Um… Would you like a cup of tea?” I nodded happily, taking the offered cup and tasting it. _‘Kinda cold… but it’d probably taste good if it was warm.’_ Still, I told him that I liked it with a smile and a thumbs-up.

“Perhaps we should give them some space?” Toriel suggested, noticing me stifle a yawn. “They must be simply exhausted.” She seemed to think that made no sense, and added, “Though, from what… I’m not sure. I remember Papyrus saying he had help from a flower, and then… everything goes white.”

“eh, don’t worry about it. if we need to know, frisk’ll tell us. that right, kid?” I looked over at Sans and nodded; if I thought they needed to know, I _would_ tell them. I just thought it would be better if they didn’t. He knew why.

I glanced back at Toriel and told her I wanted to take a walk before we left. She clearly didn’t like the idea of me being alone again, but said, “I will not stop you. Be safe, and do come back soon, will you not?” I signed a quick ‘OK’ before smiling to everyone and walking back into the throne room. From there, I just started backtracking through where I’ve already been.

The castle hallways were lined on both sides with monsters – Froggits, Whimsuns, the Knight Knights from the Core… even Napstablook was floating there with a small, ghostly smile – and as I passed by, they all nodded to me in respect. Asriel _did_ have all of their souls when he broke the Barrier, so... maybe that's how they knew to show up? Either way, they were all waiting for the chance to leave the Underground… and I'd finally given it to them. _‘I guess… I am a hero to them. It’s weird.’_ Still, I managed to smile for them as I walked by.

Going back through the Core, I stopped in Mettaton’s 'boss room' for a moment. It wasn’t long ago – an hour or two, really – but it was still an… interesting memory. Everything from being told Alphys’ little ‘scheme’ and story to Mettaton’s… transformation. Being on television the whole time was a new one, too… Toriel was probably freaking out the whole time! I felt bad for worrying her.

Passing through MTT Resort reminded me of Sans’ bit of exposition. _“_ _you know what would’ve happened if she hadn’t said anything?”_ he’d asked me; it was the first time I’d seen his blue eye. The first time I really _knew_ there was more to him than a lazybones comedian. _‘Heh… he’d like that one… or tell me to put more ‘backbone’ into it.’_  Still, hearing that Toriel begged him to protect _me_ … it had put things in perspective when I think about when I left.

The Hotlands had a lot of memories I wouldn’t forget, too. Meeting up with the scaled scientist (I still find it slightly weird that she was kinda stalking me with her cameras, but I could forgive that), Mettaton and his… her… _its_ game show… the two guards that I helped out… and of course the weird airplane-thing. And then, there’s… her lab, too. That’s one thing I kinda wish I could forget; I was used to monsters, but… those were something else.

Oh, speaking of Alphys, the… ‘date’ I had with her. Admittedly, I… kinda liked that one, even if it was ultimately a mix-up. She was cool, if more than a bit awkward and shy. _‘Mental note… when I get back, see if Undyne and Alphys want to have an Anime-thon…’_ I was fine with being her friend. Besides, I was… what, thirteen? Who knew how old she really was, being a monster… I could never really tell from how she acted. And she was with Undyne anyway, so it was a moot point.

Of course, I couldn’t forget Muffet, the spider-girl. Honestly, our encounter was kinda fun, if a bit terrifying. Filled with all kinds of tricks, and with that one spider always warning me… I never felt like she was actually trying to kill me. More… scare me, really. And her pet ‘Cupcake’, if I remember right, definitely succeeded. Though I was more busy applauding her performances with the spiders than anything else – she was actually a good dancer. The webs took a while to get off, though.

The Nice-Cream salesman and the two guards waved at me as I walked past, and I nodded back at them. Well, alright so I might have also bought a Nice Cream for the walk.

When I stepped into the caverns of Waterfall, that’s when a lot of memories hit me. It was the first time I noticed Sans had a habit of being places that made no sense. It was where I really started running into that monster kid, Undyne’s fan… he couldn’t keep himself out of trouble. Remembering my first run-ins with Undyne herself, I both shuddered and chuckled. She was pretty terrifying in her armor, and just inspiring when it came down to the fight. The head of the Royal Guard was straight out of an anime, and she did it on purpose. Undyne was cool.

And then there was the little… hang-out that Papyrus set up with us. Which he promptly ditched, leaving me alone with her. I was pretty sure I was gonna die then, I recalled. In fact, she’d told me, _“If you weren’t a guest in my house, I’d be kicking your ass harder than you could possibly imagine!”_ I believed her. And then Papyrus challenged her friend-making skills… and everything got better from there. Mostly. _‘How do you set your own house on fire by **cooking spaghetti**?!’ _ By being Undyne, I found out.

There was also Temmie village, but… I never understood them. It made my head hurt just trying. It was the one place I skipped.

Now, Snowdin… the first real area I visited. Walking out of the caverns, I was rather fiercely reminded of how cold it was. I immediately wished – again – for a jacket, but just kept walking. I stopped where I’d ‘fought’ Papyrus and smiled. The guy was too kind for his own good, maybe. Strong and tough, even I could tell, but… maybe not all there. He loved puzzles though, and he was passionate about them to a degree I just couldn’t manage. Even if he wasn’t that good at them.

And my first meeting with Sans. _‘The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick… it’s always funny.’_ I laughed at the memory, remembering how scared I’d been at first. And then how I was _more_ scared after he talked about his ‘human-hunting FANATIC’ brother. Immediately followed by more laughter at how goofy he was… and groaning at terrible puns.

I got dropped out of memory lane by the sight in front of me. The door to the Ruins… it was open. It had always been closed, ever since… Toriel let me leave. That’s another memory I didn’t want to remember. Her expression when she realized I wasn’t going to stay, and when she had to stop me… how lonely I realized she was, and still knowing I had to leave… those, I wanted to lock away.

Memories of Flowey… those were other things I wanted to lose. His cruel – and deadly – trick when I first arrived, stalking me through the Ruins and into the rest of the Underground. Taunting me, saying I would kill or die. And yet I couldn’t be… as angry with him, knowing what had happened. I wanted to be angry, but I just couldn’t anymore.

There were good memories too, though. Toriel saving me, being so kind to someone she just met. Leading me through the ruins, always making sure I was just fine… baking me the tastiest Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie I’d ever tasted! Seriously, how can someone be that good? And… oh god, the phone calls I made… _‘I will never speak of those.’_ I promised myself, and I wasn’t blushing from embarrassment, not at all.

Finally, I came back to where it all began. The room where I’d fallen down nearly… a week ago? _‘Was it really only a week? That doesn’t feel right.’_ Unlike when I dropped in though, I wasn’t alone this time. Kneeling next to the patch of flowers, a watering can in hand, was… Asriel.

I managed to keep calm long enough to walk up and put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise and looked back, settling into a sad smile. “Oh… hi, Frisk. I thought I asked you… to forget about me.” I shook my head firmly; I wasn’t going to forget him, not after this. He sighed and looked away again, asking, “Come on… don’t you have anything better to do?” The resignation and… no, there wasn’t even despair in his voice anymore; I expected _that_. I didn’t expect him to just… accept it. That hurt so much more than just seeing him sad.

I shook my head again, moving up and sitting down next to him. I signed that I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I left him alone like this. “I guess… I could use some company, for a little while,” he said finally, with a more genuine smile.

For a few minutes, we just sat there silently. It was nice; finally away from everything going wrong. Then he chuckled quietly and said, “It’s hard to believe I mistook you for… well, them. You’re really the exact opposite. Kind to a fault… understanding… heh, and quiet. Everything they weren’t. I said this before, but… I really wish I’d had a brother like you, instead.” I couldn’t really respond except for twiddling my thumbs and blushing a bit. I did the best I could, not much to it, right?

Then Asriel let out a sigh. “But… I still don’t understand. I don’t understand how you could forgive me, how you could forgive Dad… after all we’d done. We’ve both hurt so many people, human and monster alike… I’ve destroyed timelines, over and over! I don’t understand… how you’re so… _nice_.” I didn’t really have an answer for him, so I could only shrug and give him a sorry smile. “Even you don’t know… and still you can. I’m jealous, heh…”

I felt something in the air change, and Asriel’s expression became even more serious. “Frisk, I wanted to ask you… have you told anyone why you came here? Why you climbed Mt. Ebott, why you… well?” I flinched; it was a question I’d always known would come. I also wasn’t prepared to answer it. I shook my head, because I hadn’t told anyone. “… I’m sorry if it’s a touchy subject. I guess… only you have the answer to that, right?” His expression told me all I needed to know – it was my only secret, and he was going to respect that. I smiled thankfully and nodded. When he suddenly started tearing up though, I knew what was coming.

“I… I d-don’t… Frisk, I don’t want to go!” he cried, leaning on me and shaking. I could barely hear him clearly through the sobs, and it hurt because I couldn’t do anything. _‘… or… can I?’_ I wrapped my arms around him and patted his back while I thought, and realized… it just might work. “I don’t want to be a flower, I don’t want to forget what _feeling_ is like… I don’t want to be so cruel again! I don’t want to let go…” I could only nod in understanding and comfort him as best I could.

When he seemed to be calming down I tapped his shoulder and pulled away, leaving him confused. I grabbed at my chest, making him ask, “F-Frisk, what… what are you…?!” I found what I was looking for. I held my hands out to him, waiting for him to take it. His expression was of shock and… yeah, he was awestruck at the _idea_ of what I was doing. “Y-Your Soul? No, I… I can’t! Not after everything you’ve been through, it wouldn’t be-” I shut him up by going back to the hug, holding back my own tears. I didn’t like talking, but there was only one way to do this…

“Pl..ea..se... As..ri..el?”

Speaking was kinda difficult, especially now. It was the first thing I’d said since leaving the Ruins. The first sentence I’ve uttered since calling Toriel… and it was going to be my last, too. I felt tears falling on my shirt, felt Asriel shaking like a leaf against me. “… a-alright. We’ll… we’ll go see Mom. Together, right?” I pulled back and managed a small, terrified, sad smile and nodded shakily. I hated to lie to him.

Asriel looked down at my Soul, and took a deep breath. “… here… h-here goes…”


	2. Chapter 2

Asriel stepped into the throne room, feeling the stone beneath his foot-paws give way to the grass and flowers. “It’s… been so long since I’ve been here…” He could hear echoes of faint chatter up ahead, past the room. “That sounds… sounds like Mom. And… and Dad and… I d-don’t know if I can-”

“if you can what, kid?” Sans’ voice came from right behind him, making Asriel jump in surprise. “heya. sans the skeleton, nice to officially meet ya,” he said, holding his hand out to shake. Predictably, as soon as Asriel took the hand, a particular sound echoed through the room. “heh… the old ‘whoopie cushion in the hand’ trick… never gets old,” Sans said with a dry chuckle that quickly faded. “still… you shouldn’t be here. i know who you are, prince. isn’t hard to figure out.”

“… you're right, I really shouldn't...” Asriel muttered, looking down at the flowers. “It was his idea… I d-didn't want him to, but he wouldn't l-listen and I just... I couldn't say no anymore, and then-”

He was spared from breaking down so quickly when Sans, surprisingly, nodded and patted his shoulder with his bony hand. ”don’t you worry, i don’t hold it against ya. after all, changing things against all odds, defying what should be possible… that’s what he’s all about, isn’t it?” Asriel took a moment to shake off his surprise before agreeing hesitantly. “of course, that doesn’t mean you get outta jail free, either.”

Sans drew his hand back and put some distance between them, his eye flashing with blue light. “you have any idea what this is gonna do to everyone? whether it was his choice or not, our friend – the savior of the underground – is gone. he doesn’t even get to see the surface again. _we_ don’t get to see _him_ again, ever. Worse, we’re gonna have to bury the kid… tori and asgore have gotten too used to that.” The short skeleton closed his eye-sockets and sighed. “like i said, i’m not gonna beat you up over this, kid… you’ll do plenty of that by yourself, i’m sure. now, if i find out that it wasn’t his idea… i find out that you _killed_ him to come back…”

His eye started pouring out so much magic that, for a moment, the left side of his skull was coated in blue flame. **“Y o u  w i l l  w i s h  y o u  h a d  s t a y e d  d e a d.”** Just as quickly as it came, the moment went, and Sans was back to normal. Asriel was shaking from fear, understandably so. The skeleton just patted his shoulder, pushing him gently towards the room just ahead, and said, “now, i think you’ve got a family reunion to get to, kid.”

With no urge to stick around, Asriel nodded quickly and took a few deep breaths to calm himself before walking onward.

“… tell you, he should have answered by now!” That was Toriel’s voice, for sure. She definitely sounded worried, and it made Asriel feel terrible.

“Now Tori… Frisk is a tough young human. He can certainly handle the trek back, especially with everyone so calm and pleased. Have some tea, it always calms you down.” And that was Asgore. As calming as he was trying to sound, anyone could hear the equal worry in his voice.

Asriel stepped into the room and coughed quietly, instantly getting everyone’s attention. Toriel and Asgore were staring at him in disbelief when he stuttered the first thing that came to mind. “Um… h-hi, Mom… hi, Dad. I’m… uh, I’m home?” Instantly he was wrapped up in a crying Toriel’s arms, holding him as close as possible.

“A-Asriel, my… y-you’re…” Toriel couldn’t even speak clearly, so she settled for nuzzling her son and refusing to let go. She did, however, let Asgore close for a family hug. All three of them had tears running down their faces, but anyone could tell they were the happiest they’d ever been.

“Son… I th-thought you were…” He couldn’t say it, nobody wanted to hear it.

“It’s a… long story. I’m just so… so happy to be back!” Asriel managed to say before breaking down just like his parents. “P-Please, don’t… don’t let go!” Both Toriel and Asgore whispered “Never again,” and held him even closer.

Everyone else either remained silent or, in Alphys’ case, let out a quiet “Awww…” Nobody was going to interrupt this moment. Nobody… except, of course, for Papyrus.

“PRINCE! I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU WELL! I AM SO SORRY FOR FAILING YOU…” the skeleton said loudly, looking disappointed with himself but also more than relieved. Everyone else let out a sigh, even though they probably expected that. “BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION… WHERE IS THE HUMAN, FRISK?”

Asriel froze up, and Toriel glanced at the doorway over his shoulder. “That’s true… he did say he was only going for a short walk…”

Undyne stomped her foot and snapped, “What gives the punk the right to worry us like this, huh?”

Everyone else voiced similar questions, but Sans just stepped up to Asriel – having snuck back into the room – and asked calmly, as if he didn’t already know, “you didn’t happen to see the kid on you way here, did you?” Before he even got an answer, the skeleton shrugged. “hate to break up the moment… but our prince here died. gotta be blunt about it, sorry. and somehow he’s still here… means he had to grab a soul somewhere, right?”

Reactions varied from Alphys stuttering in shock to Papyrus insisting something else had happened, Undyne giving Asriel a glare to Asgore hastily agreeing with Papyrus. But it was Asriel himself who spoke up, taking a deep breath and saying, “N-no… Sans is right.” Silence fell on everyone, all eyes on the lost prince. He willed his Soul to appear, and everyone could see the familiar red outlining the monster child's own white soul. 

Asriel started to explain what had really happened, leaving out _most_ of his time as Flowey… for now. That... that would come later. He told them about his one-sided battle with Frisk, what his original, selfish plan had been. He told them how he’d made Frisk promise to forget about him, to have his last memories be of _Asriel_ , not the heartless flower. And he told them how Frisk found him in the Ruins anyway, and gave up the only thing he had left so that Asriel could come back.

“I tried telling him no, I really did!” he cried after it all, clawing at his chest. “But… Frisk…” He wasn’t able to finish, reduced to sobbing all over again.

“… is too kind and determined for his own good.” Sans finished for him with a nod. Even his apparently-permanent grin had faded. “sounds about right for the kid.”

“Hold up a second, are you telling ME that Frisk… that the punk’s _gone_?” Undyne asked incredulously. She’d fiercely deny it if anyone asked if she was tearing up, and luckily nobody did. Alphys just patted her arm silently, apparently not trusting herself to say anything.

“Sorry... I’m so… so sorry, I didn’t…” Asriel was still struggling to speak. “He’s gone, and I…”

Toriel wrapped him up in another warm embrace, patting his back and quietly shushing him. “T-There there, child… it is n-not your fault, do not… do not blame yourself,” she said as evenly as she could, grateful that Asriel couldn’t see her face. “F-Frisk… did what he thought was right.”

There wasn’t much said after that; what more _could_ be said that hadn't already? Asriel asked for Frisk to be buried near the castle, since – as far as they were concerned – he was basically family, and had more than earned it. Since humans didn’t turn to dust when they died, it was more… unsettling for them, not being used to carrying a body.

The Dreemurr family stood in front of a large monument near the castle, one with the names of hundreds of monsters carved into it. A memorial from the war, to remember everyone who fell to end it, and Frisk’s name was now placed at the top. “He was the one who truly ended it, today,” Asgore explained quietly when he'd finished hand-carving it in. The rest of the group stood a short distance behind them, keeping themselves together with varying success. 

Asgore was the one to speak first. “You were not with us long, but you did so much more for the Underground and its monsters in that short time… than I managed in over a hundred years. You explored and survived a world completely unfamiliar to you, and not once did you strike out even when it seemed the only option. You made friends with those that would kill you, proved an old king wrong about humanity and his own delusions, and in the end sacrificed everything to bring a family together that had thought itself forever broken. I could never thank you enough… _we_ could never thank you enough. Farewell… and rest peacefully, Frisk Dreemurr.”

He stepped away from the small grave, set just in front of the memorial. Undyne was the one to take his place. “Kid, gotta say… you got my respect. Took you long enough, but I can’t call you wimpy after that stunt. Ain’t too many out there who would give up their Soul for someone they just met… that takes guts I’m not even sure I’ve got. You deserve some rest after all that, so... okay yeah, I’m not good at this sappy stuff… just, good job.” She quietly stepped back next to Alphys, taking the lizard-like scientist’s claw in hand and using her free one to wipe her eyes.

They all went on to say what each needed to say save for Toriel and Papyrus, neither of which could bring themselves to speak clearly. The last one was Sans, surprising nearly everyone. He silently knelt down next to the grave, took something out of his coat and laid it down on top of it: a photo of everyone standing next to each other in the sunlight, all smiling from ear to ear. The only one missing was Asriel himself, replaced by Frisk… the best possible timeline, and somehow he'd strived for one better.  He pinned it to the back of the grave marker before nodding once and saying, “finally saved everyone… you did good, kid. hope it's all worth it to ya.”

After the ceremony, the group of monsters took their first steps through the Barrier that had for so long kept them trapped underground. They stepped out onto a cliff overlooking a massive forest, the sun low in the sky spreading warm, orange _natural_ light across their faces.

“It is… beautiful…” Toriel said quietly, taking a deep breath. “This is… fresh air? I’d forgotten what it was like.”

“It feels weird… cooler than Waterfall’s air…” Undyne muttered under her breath with a faint smile. “I like it.”

“That’s the sun?” Alphys asked no-one in particular. “So… _that_ gives light and heat up here… amazing.”

"This is what he... wanted you guys to have," Asriel said quietly, almost too low for anyone to hear.  _'I hope it's all worth it...'_ _  
_

Almost like a thought occurred to him, Papyrus exclaimed, “I BELIEVE I SHALL GO ON AHEAD! OH, PERHAPS I CAN MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ON THE HUMANS!” Before anyone could disagree, the skeleton was already gone, ‘nyeh’-ing the entire way. Sans chuckled half-heartedly and muttered something about following him, only to walk back into the cave behind them.

Undyne groaned and started running after Papyrus. “Hold on, bonehead! I SWEAR, IF YOU DON’T STOP…!” Alphys just looked between the Dreemurrs and the fish warrior before chuckling nervously and running after her as best she could, leaving the family alone on the cliff.

For a while, the three monsters were silent. None of them had anything to say, nothing that could change anything. Frisk had given them this surface-world, given them all a good friend and then some, and he couldn’t even be there in the end to share it.

And despite everything, this was exactly what I wanted.  After so many resets, so many times going back and trying something else… I’d finally given them their ‘happy ending’. One where the family is finally brought back together. Of course, everything required some sacrifice… this time, it was mine. As far as I was concerned, it was worth it. The familiar urge to set it all back came again, but for the first time since I’d come down here I took that determination to live… and let it go. As I felt myself starting to fade away, I couldn’t help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one thing I forgot to add here. The reason this is marked 'incomplete' is because I'm not sure if I'm going to end it here or not. I have an idea to continue it, but until I'm sure about - by which I mean have a good amount written with little chance of losing track - it's not going to be updated. I'm going to leave it incomplete just in case, but that's something I felt I should explain.
> 
> Also, if you've got any comments on what little is here/anything you'd like to see, please leave them! I love reading feedback on what I wrote; it's the only way to see how well I've done/how much improvement I need. Who knows, maybe something said will spark an idea for something? Anyway, I'm rambling on. Drak, out!

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, I intended to use the proper fonts for everyone, but this is my first time posting on AO3... so yeah, couldn't figure that out yet.  
> Also, I'm bad with rating-judging. So... that's a thing, I guess?
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> Uh, tell me what you guys think? I dunno. Drak, out!


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